Going Bananas on a Hot Summer Day

Ugh, I let my bunch of bananas get too ripe!   I'm sure it's happened to all of us. Today I decided to take a break from real cooking and make potato salad, throw some dogs on the grill and doctor up a can of baked beans.  But I still needed to do something with the bananas since I didn't want to waste them. I wanted to make something simple since I wasn't in the mood to make anything fancy. So I dug out Flo Braker's "Baking for All Occasions, A Treasury of Recipes for Everyday Celebrations". To be honest, I'm not sure I've ever used this book. I'm a cookbook junkie, or worst case, a cookbook hoarder!

There are 8 recipes with bananas as the main star, and I picked the easiest. This recipe is called Banana Streusel Snack Cake.

INGREDIENTS

Streusel
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
6 (packed) tablespoons light brown sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Cake
2 cups unsifted cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup ripe mashed banana (2 large or 3 medium)
3 tablespoons whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 large egg

INSTRUCTIONS
For the streusel: Using your fingertips, mix together the flour, sugar, butter and cinnamon until lumpy; set aside.

For the cake: Adjust rack in lower third of oven; preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 x 5 x 3-inch bread pan (see Note).

Sift the dry ingredients onto a sheet of wax paper. Mash the bananas in a medium bowl, then add the milk and vanilla; blend well.

Using an electric mixer, preferably with a paddle attachment, or a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy, beat in the egg until completely incorporated. Add the banana mixture (it will look curdled, that's OK). With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle the streusel over the top.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean (not sticky) when inserted into the center of the cake.

Place the cake in its pan on a rack to cool for 10 minutes. Then, gently tap the pan on the counter to see if the cake is releasing from the sides. Place another rack on top of the cake, invert, and carefully remove the pan. Place the other rack on the cake again and invert streusel-side up. Let cool completely before slicing.

Serves 12.

Note: The cake also may be baked in an 8 x 8 x 2-inch square baking pan for about 35 minutes. The cake also freezes well, wrap securely in plastic wrap, then over wrap in foil.


The batter is a beautiful vanilla color and very fluffy. Oh, and for those of you who like to lick the bowl...you're in for a treat....it's delicious!  The end result is a cake with a very subtle banana flavor.  It would make a nice breakfast coffee cake or just something good to snack on, like I'll do later this evening.

Recipes from Rue Royal...Memories of the Court of the Two Sisters

Today is a toasty one in Northern Virginia. The humidity can really get to you, though today it's relatively low at 50%. It seems like a good day to enjoy something light and easy for dinner. Since my mind is still in New Orleans (a.k.a. The Big Easy or Crescent City), let's take a walk down to 613 Royal Street to the Court of the Two Sisters  http://www.courtoftwosisters.com/

It was here where I first fell under the spell of the the wisteria. The Court of the Two Sisters restaurant features a beautiful old courtyard surrounded by luscious purple wisteria. I remember enjoying the Sunday jazz brunch here years and years ago. I was dining outside near the fountain, under the weeping wisteria, listening to the sounds of the jazz band playing inside with a mimosa in hand (also a first!) and eagerly sampling a huge hot and cold buffet of Creole dishes. It felt like I was in a magical place!  Of course, I gladly paid for a copy of their cookbook to take home as a souvenir. I still use it, especially this time of year when I need something cold and easy.

Tonight's menu will feature a light dinner of Cajun Pasta Salad and Steamed Shrimp with traditional  Remoulade Sauce.

Both recipes are from "The Court of the Two Sisters Cookbook, With a History of the French Quarter and the Restaurant"  by Mel Leavitt. You can find it on Amazon new for $10.85 and used for as little as $1.28 plus shipping ( I frequently buy my books here. Generally you can get used copies in excellent condition).

The recipes:

Cajun Pasta Salad

1 lb elbow macaroni
1 lb smoked sausage (I use low fat smoked turkey sausage. You may saute briefly before adding)
1/2 c red peppers
2 green peppers, diced
1 tbsp garlic, pureed
2 stalks celery, diced
1/2 white onion, diced
2 tbsp Toulouse seasoning (combination of salt, white pepper, black pepper, onion powder, cayenne pepper,
     paprika and thyme in equal amounts of 1 tbsp each).
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp Creole mustard (I use Zatarain's)
1/4 c white vinegar
3/4 c salad oil
1/4 c parsley

Cook the pasta in boiling water till al dente. Remove from the heat, drain, rinse and cool.  Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. The dish is best served at room temperature; however, chill thoroughly if preparing ahead of time and allow to stand for one hour till serving. Serves 6 large portions or 12 smaller portions.

If you like less heat, add less of the Toulouse seasoning. It's especially easy to make when you use a food chopper to chop all the veggies! Also you can cut the quantity of the ingredients accordingly. My husband  isn't too fond of peppers or celery, so I actually cut the recipe  by 1/2 and still had plenty (and he got a baked potato).

Remoulade Sauce

2 c Creole mustard
4 tbsp celery, diced
4 stalks green onion, chopped
1 tbsp paprika (I use Pride of Szeged Hungarian Paprika in the big red can)
1/3 c salad oil
1/4 c white wine vinegar
4 tbsp garlic, pureed
dash of salt
3 tbsp prepared horseradish
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
lettuce

In a mixer or blender combine all ingredients and blend until smooth. Chill completely. Serve over boiled or steamed medium shrimp arranged on a bed of shredded lettuce. Yields 3 cups. You can also easily halve it as I did.

This is so much better than the pre-made remoulade sauce you can buy in the store! I also use a little Old Bay when steaming the shrimp to give it a little more spice.

I just love my little glass fish dishes. They are perfect for serving shrimp!

Happy eating!

Breakfast in the Big Easy - Classic Beignets

First of all, I want to tell you I was up till almost 4 in the morning last night. I had bought a 3 pack of Starbucks Via Ready Brew. It is instant coffee that is supposed to taste like a fresh brewed cup. I opened a pack of the Columbia which is a medium brew. I think Starbucks needs to put a warning on the label that drinking it too late at night causes a huge caffeine rush which results in extended periods of sleeplessness. The stuff is better than No-Doze! Usually I can drink coffee late at night with no ill effect, but this time I just couldn't sleep. So I figured it would be nice to plan something for the morning. After writing the post about the Shrimp Creole I figured why not continue our trip through the bayou to the Big Easy? One of my very first memories of New Orleans is sitting at Cafe Du Monde http://www.cafedumonde.com/ in Jackson Square at 4 in the morning with a big hot cup of cafe au lait and a basket of freshly made beignets covered in powdered sugar.

Beignets (pronounced bey nyay) is basically a deep fried doughnut without the hole. According to my research, some historians believe that the Ursuline Nuns of France brought the recipe to Louisiana when they arrived in 1727. It is also believed that the beignet is the father of the raised donut!

Most all recipes for beignets include yeast. So you need to do a little planning if you want to make them.   This particular recipe requires the dough to chill for 8 hours, so it is best to make it overnight as I did. Let's begin!

The recipe for these particular beignets is from the cookbook "New Orleans Classic Desserts, Recipes from Favorite Restaurants"  by Kit Wohl. It is 95 pages filled with beautiful color photographs, background on the  the restaurants and 45 luscious desserts.

 Here is a list of the ingredients:                                  


1 package active dry yeast (1/4 oz)
3/4 cup warm (110 degrees) water
1/4 c evaporated milk
1 tsp granulated sugar
pinch of salt
1 large egg, beaten
4 - 4 1/4 c  all-purpose flour
Vegetable oil for deep frying
Powdered sugar

Stir together the yeast and 3/4 c warm water in a 2 cup measuring cup. let stand 5 minutes. In a large bowl, stir together the yeast mixture, evaporated milk, sugar, salt and egg until blended. Gradually stir in enough flour to make a soft dough. Cover and chill the dough for at least 8 hours.

Place dough on a well floured surface and knead 5 or 6 times. Roll dough into a 15" x 15" shape and cut into 2 - 3 inch squares. Smaller beignets will puff and brown faster, so do not leave them unattended.

Pour oil to depth of 3 -4 inches in a deep skillet or Ditch oven and heat to 375 degrees. Place each beignet in the hot oil. Working rapidly, fry several beignets at a time, not letting them touch, for approximately 1 minute on each side. Turn with tongs to brown each side evenly. Drain well on paper towels and sprinkle warm beignets with powdered sugar.

Serve immediately, piping hot.

So after mixing the dough and putting in the refrigerator to chill, I rose at 9 am and finally got cooking. Unfortunately my husband was at work, so I really didn't need to make the whole recipe (they really should be served piping hot) so I only fried half the dough (though I did eat all the beignets!).

Dough rolled out to thickness:

I uses a pizza cutter to cut the dough into 2" squares.

My Dutch oven comes in handy for frying. I used canola oil and heated it to 375 degrees. Then I placed the beignet dough into the hot oil. Fry till golden.

Then you dust the hot beignets with powdered sugar (this is a light dusting compared how you get them at Cafe Du Monde)!

Mmm Mmm Mmm! Enjoy!

Cooking Cajun Style - A Tribute to Louisiana

First of all, welcome to my first blog post! Please bear with me as I navigate my way through this process. Excuse my mistakes...I'm sure I'll make many trying to figure out how to publish a successful and interesting blog.

No matter what I try as far as things to make me happy, I always come back to cooking. I've been retired now for almost 21 months and I'm still trying to figure out what I want to do with the rest of my life. I have tried many things and have left many projects unfinished. Those who know me know I have tried my hand at a few artsy things like jewelry making, stained glass, collage and some other mixed media stuff which I am half good at. However, I always come back to the kitchen. I think it's trying to tell me something!

Anyway, let's dive into my cookbook collection and take a spin down to the Bayou. With all the trouble recently suffered by the folks in  Louisiana because of the BP oil disaster, I've decided to pay tribute and make my first post a recipe from that state and the Acadians by cooking one of my favorite recipes, Shrimp Creole. The little gem of a cookbook this recipe hails from is called "Cajun Country Cooking, Basic Acadian Cooking from the True Acadian Country of Louisiana" by Bobby Potts. The 64 page paperback contains traditional Cajun recipes, lots of color pictures, and includes tidbits of background information and folklore of Acadian/Cajun cooking.

The secret to making a great creole is the roux. Roux is simply a cooked mixture of flour and fat. Common fats are butter, oils and even bacon grease. Roux is typically made with equal proportions of  flour and fat. The fat is heated in a pan, then the flour is added. The mixture is cooked until the flour taste disappears and the desired color is achieved. Dark roux used in Cajun cooking is generally made with vegetable oil because of the high smoke point.  Roux can be any color from white, to peanut butter-colored to chocolate to black. The darker the roux, the nuttier the flavor. However, the thickening power of the roux decreases the darker the mixture becomes. The secret is not to burn it!  You will need to stir it constantly to avoid burning it.  I would say a good peanut butter colored roux takes about  5-8 minutes, and the dark chocolate color around 20-25 minutes over medium high heat. Again, be sure to whisk constantly!

It is a good idea to have everything ready before you start cooking. This is called mise en place or "everything in place".

Here is the recipe for Shrimp Creole (from Cookin' Cajun Cooking School in New Orleans featured in Bobby Potts book):

4 lbs peeled raw shrimp                    1 c. water
1/4 c. flour                                       3 bay leaves
1/4 c. oil                                          1 tbsp sugar
1 c. chopped onion                          1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce 
1 c. chopped celery                         1 tbsp fresh lemon juice 
1 c. chopped bell pepper                 1/2 c. chopped parsley
2 cloves garlic, minced                     salt and lemon pepper, cayenne pepper, or Tabasco to taste,
1 (6oz) can tomato paste                   or any combination thereof.
1 (16 oz) can stewed tomatoes
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce

Make a dark brown roux of flour and oil (or bacon grease) in a large heavy pot, adding water very slowly after desired color is reached. Add the vegetables and saute till soft. Add tomato paste and mix well with vegetables, cooking until it almost turns color. Add all other ingredients except shrimp and parsley. Simmer slowly for one hour, covered, stirring occasionally. Add shrimp and cook till done, 5 minutes or more depending on size. Add parsley at the same time. Serve over hot rice (tastes even better the next day).

Note: I personally find that 2 pounds of shrimp is adequate, however, if you want more, go for the full 4 pounds!


Food trivia:  In culinary terms, the combination of onion, celery and bell pepper is known as the holy trinity. This makes up the base ingredient for dishes such as creole, etouffee, gumbo and jambalaya.

Let's get started and make the roux. Measure out the flour and oil. Put the oil in a heavy pan (I use copper), and over medium high heat, add the flour. Stir constantly until your desired color is reached. 

Take the pan off the heat, and slowly add the water. Be careful! Once you have the water stirred in, return the pan to the stove and add the holy trinity and garlic. Saute until soft.

When the vegetables are soft, add the tomato paste and stir well. The add the rest of the ingredients except for the shrimp and parsley. Season to taste with a little salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for an hour, stirring occasionally.

Add the shrimp

and the parsley and cook for about 5 minutes or until the shrimp are pink. Serve over hot rice. I like to accompany the creole with a bottle Tabasco Sauce on the side to add some heat.

If you can make a decent roux, the results will be a rich and tasty shrimp creole! Assembling the ingredients,  cutting up the veggies and peeling the shrimp is the time consuming part of this recipe. It is a relatively easy recipe. I guarantee you will want seconds! Check out the cookbook for more great Cajun delights:


"Laissez les bon temps rouler!" (Let the good times roll!)